Addictive vegan chicken salad is made with soy curls! Soy curls chicken salad is perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or scooped over a bed of greens.
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Soy curls are a perfect chicken substitute for making vegan chicken salad. They're a whole food ingredient with a neutral flavor and a very chicken-like texture!
The secret is in the seasoning. When you make soy curls, you always soak them. In this recipe, you're going to soak them in low-sodium vegetable broth. Before cooking, you'll toss them in poultry seasoning, which is a blend of herbs often used to season chicken.
From there, you simply drain, shred, and cook before using them to make the mock chicken salad of your DREAMS!
Ingredients and substitutions
- soy curls - Soy curls are a great vegan chicken substitute! You can use soy/soya chunks instead, if you can't find soy curls.
- low-sodium vegetable broth - This adds flavor to the soy curls while you soak them.
- poultry seasoning - A mixture of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper gives the soy curls a chicken-y flavor. You can make your own poultry seasoning! Combine 2 teaspoons dried sage, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon ground rosemary, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- vegan mayo - This is the base for your dressing. Feel free to use cashew cream sauce instead of the mayo, if you prefer.
- celery and onion - These are the classic crunchy elements in any chicken salad. If you don't like celery, omit it or use carrots instead. For the onion, you can use red, sweet, or green onion.
- lemon juice - Adds more acid for a little zing!
- Dijon mustard - Brightens up the dressing even more. You can use other mustards, if you want.
- dried dill - If you like a dilly chicken salad. Otherwise, feel free to omit this.
How to make vegan chicken salad
Put the soy curls into a large bowl and pour the hot broth over them. Let them sit for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze them out and tear any larger pieces into bite-sized pieces.
Prep the rest of the salad ingredients while the soy curls soak.
Transfer the drained soy curls back to the bowl and toss with the poultry seasoning to coat them well.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the soy curls. Cook for three to five minutes, until they turn golden on the edges. They will cook quickly, because you're tearing them into smaller pieces. Don't overcook them, because you want their texture to be tender.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, celery, onion, lemon, mustard, dill (if using), and cooked soy curls, tossing to coat well in the dressing.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper. You can add more dill and mayo and a teaspoon or two of extra lemon juice, as well, if you like.
Chill vegan chicken salad until you're ready to serve.
Helpful tips
- Make sure to wring those soy curls out well after soaking! You want them moist but not sopping wet. Use your fingers to tear them into small, bite-sized pieces as you're wringing them out.
- When the soy curls are soaking, use a spoon to press them into the broth occasionally. They do love to float!
- Don't overcook the soy curls. You want them to still be tender, like conventional chicken for chicken salad.
Serving and storage directions
Serve vegan chicken salad the same way you'd serve any classic chicken salad! It's great in sandwiches, wraps, or pita. You can also scoop it over greens for a deli-style salad.
Store leftover soy curls chicken salad in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for three to five days.
Frequently asked questions
Soy curls are minimally processed. They're made by pressing soy beans and drying them out. The result is strips that, when you reconstitute them in hot water or broth, have a shockingly chicken-like texture.
Seasoning! In this recipe, we use a mix of dried herbs and spices called poultry seasoning to give the vegan chicken a great, chicken-like flavor.
This recipe uses 2 cups, which is a half bag of soy curls. Store the rest of the bag in the refrigerator. I just fold it over and use a chip clip or rubber band to close it up before storing.
More vegan lunch ideas
📖 Recipe
Soy Curls Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the soy curls chicken
- 2 cups soy curls
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth - heated
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the vegan chicken salad
- ½ cup vegan mayo - or more, for a creamier vegan chicken salad
- 1 stalk celery - chopped small
- ¼ cup red onion - minced - or use sweet onion or green onion
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice - or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½-1 teaspoon dried dill - optional
- salt and black pepper - to taste
Instructions
Make the soy curl chicken.
- Put the soy curls into a large bowl and pour the hot broth over them. Let them sit for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze them out and tear any larger pieces into bite-sized pieces. Prep the rest of the salad ingredients while the soy curls soak.
- Transfer the drained soy curls back to the bowl and toss with the poultry seasoning to coat them well.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the soy curls. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until they turn golden on the edges. They will cook quickly, because you're tearing them into smaller pieces. Don't overcook them, because you want their texture to be tender.
Make the vegan chicken salad.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, celery, onion, lemon, mustard, dill (if using), and the cooked soy curls, tossing to coat well in the dressing.
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper. You can add more dill and mayo and a teaspoon or two of extra lemon juice, depending on the flavors you like. Chill until you're ready to serve.
Marge Teilhaber
Oh, boy, this looks so good. I'll probably add more veggies like sliced radish and cukes plus pumpkin or sunflower seeds and eat it with a big spoon or maybe I'll toast Dave Killer bread and toss it in as croutons sort of. Will be back to tell you all about it! Love your hair and nails!!